>ESPN’s Monday Night Football rebounded to more normal levels last night and moved back into its usual #1 spot on the cable Adult 18-49 rating chart.  (Kansas City upset San Diego in overtime.)  On AMC, Walking Dead is still the top scripted program on cable this week, but the 3.1 rating, while still very good, […]

  BROADCAST FINALS ABC:  A SHARK BEACH special was at 0.28, followed by reruns at 0.29/0.26. CBS:  BIG BROTHER fell 0.15 to 0.66, and THE CHALLENGE was down 0.05 to 0.36.  A rerun followed at 0.16. NBC:  Reruns at 0.24/0.23/0.24. FOX:  Returning from a rerun week, MASTERCHEF gained 0.03 to 0.44, and SO YOU THINK […]

  Other Nielsenwar Network Report Cards:  NBC One massive hit can make up for an awful lot of failure.  Have you met EMPIRE? Full Season To Date (thru May 3) 18-49 Rating Average:  1.53 (#4), down 26.2% from last season (Note:  FOX aired the Super Bowl in 2014-15; with that excluded, the year-to-year drop was […]

> Well, the good news for A GIFTED MAN is that it’s not cancelled.  It even has a “back order.”  However, it’s about as begrudging as a back order can be:  far from the usual 9 additional episodes, Gifted Man will only get 3 extra, for a season total of 16.  This smacks of a […]

  BROADCAST FINALS:  FOX’s MLB game was at 0.35.    Broadcast Official Nationals Program Ratings Chart   CABLE HIGHLIGHTS:  USA’s PREMIER LEAGUE match was at 0.24, and a NASCAR race was at 0.15.  ESPNs UFC FIGHT NIGHT was also at 0.24 with PRELIMS at 0.15.  Reeiz’s ON PATROL rose 0.05 to 0.24.  On Food Network, […]

>Better late than never.  Thanksgiving was a pretty turgid night on network television.  TV usage drops through the floor with women, while usage levels for men are pretty good on Thanksgiving night — but they are mainly watching football on NFL Network (pro) or ESPN (college).   Without any football on the night, the networks try […]

  BROADCAST FINALS ABC:  PRESS YOUR LUCK dipped 0.06 to 0.43, GENERATION GAP dropped 0.09 to 0.30, and THE CON was down 0.08 to 0.23. CBS:  BIG BROTHER slipped 0.03 to 0.76, sandwiched between reruns at 0.29/0.28/0.17. NBC:  Reruns at 0.20/0.22/0.19. FOX:  COLLEGE FOOTBALL at 0.82. CW:  BUMP gained 0.02 to 0.06, then after a […]

> HBO, wanting to give its high-profile David Milch/Michael Mann/Dustin Hoffman/Nick Nolte horseracing drama LUCK the best possible promotional platform, premiered the pilot as a “special preview” following what turned out to be the shocking season finale of BOARDWALK EMPIRE.  The first part of the plan worked:  Boardwalk scored a terrific (by its standards) 1.3 […]